Related

Canada's population of 33.5 million people is growing faster than that of any other G8 nation — fuelled primarily by immigration — while the...

The 2011 census shows the population of the Island of Montreal grew to 1,649,519 for a modest 1.8 per cent over the last five years, well below the national average of 5.9 per cent.

However, the same period saw a population explosion among several off-island communities, particularly along the in Laval, Terrebonne, Blainville, Mirabel and Oka.

Laval, for instance, grew by 8.9 per cent over the last five years. St. Marthe sur Lac grew by 38.7 per cent, placing it among the 15 fastest growing municipalities in the country.

"Communities on the borders of larger metropolitan areas are growing faster, which leads to the phenomenon of urban spread," said senior Statistics Canada analyst Laurent Martel.

"Since 2006, those on the north shore have maintained a very high rate of population growth."

By contrast, Longueuil's population increased by just 0.9 per cent. This could suggest the South Shore hub may have been suffering from commuter-fatigue even before recent woes over the state of the Mercier and Champlain bridges. "There were issues in Montreal, but I am not sure we can make links. The data doesn't allow us to show those things," Martel said.

Saint Lazare, LaPrairie, Candiac and Lavaltrie were among other satellite communities which saw their populations bloom by more than 17 per cent since the last census in 2006.

There were a few pockets of strong growth within the city of Montreal's boundaries, however, most notably in the downtown borough of Ville-Marie, in St. Laurent and eastern Lachine, near the Old Port and on Nun's Island.